New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-07
STATEHOOD OF DAKOTA.
DIVISION AND ADMISSION THE NEED AND
RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE

DIVISION AND ADMISSION THE NEED AMI
RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE.
zIaroRY OF THE sTRUGaLE-INJUsTICK WITHOUT
PRECEDENT DONE 10 DAKOTA-sENTIMENT OIL
THE PEoPLE--EvILs OF TERRITORIAL GOVERN
MEST.
MrIbAsK Dakota, Sept 6.-Generai Hugh J. Camp
hell known as the father Of the Statehood movement
In this Territory, delivered to-day to crowod audi
enco at tie Mlbank Opera House an address which
sounded tho keynote OF the campaign which has JUS
begun and which Will eliminate IN November In .
popular vote on the subject Of division OF the Territory
The address fun OF facts and arguments In faNo
Of such division and the admission OF south Dahota
into the Union as state. The salient features OF his
remarks were as follows:
Tho Legislature At at its last session to pass
law authorizing and enabling the Ieope OF thiS Ler
rit0ry " press by vote al the neat eiecuon .nU
Tbs voso viii not eject division nor az;
thorttarso legal forco with regard 10 H. Due ~
% Snans the Pe % 70 E saboc
be expressed In favor Of division py so shics has
renreSentoS tbat the reople do not wish for DIVISION.
1t would also be reply 70 those S AZ ieasop
WSy tnes did nothing for Dakota that they were is
norant OF what its pcoii e wishea ,,,ror,, their
In 1871 the people OF tho territory, through snrs
Legislature petltioned Congress for division OF tue
TERRITORY the 4yth parallel his was siae1
AK poitical conventions of both partes hye conven
tons OF the people without asllncth1 VI t ~,
nave pettoned rcpetitioned Congress In VAN ior
snoh division The sentiment OF tho people has always
oeeu practically unanimous upon this subject ,vn-
ess psi no attention 70 these p emI ,ha scnate
and the Republicans generally made an clort 70 pass
enabling act Tor South DAKOTA Az the session. "a
the Legislature In 1888, at bismarck the Legislature
sgaa passed law calling constitutional convention
for South Dakota his law was approved uy .h9
Governor and under IL another convection was hod
sioux Falls, and a constitution uraitou inns oo,
vention advanced step further thai lts preacceso
fhn nj M
not REVOLUTIONARY, and therefore it provided for such
an election and the constitution, In the same ereatn
Also provided that election should DO nuity,
by enacting that such state government snoud not
%e ,' AS result that state government declined
20 act, and has died through Its inaction: Bpt wns
this experiment failed in its chief object II resulted
in crystaizing ana organizing the division party IN
South Dakots, and giving IL new strength auo m
opinion was also aroused ana eduease1, un.n nhay y
large majority of the people OF south Dakota are now
convinced that they have ample and lawful power 10
establish state government for themselves, ",nou'
waiting for Congress, and to put IL INTO aca'e OPP
This is the situation In which we are called upon to
work on the question division by the late law OF the
iegisature The question is this, whether the people
OF Dakota SHALL for all time, be compelled to have
government extending over 10000 square miles, ana
having population OF 20O00000 OF people,
or whether they shall be allowed TO divide themselves
into two largo states with state governments more
corporations and railroad influences than one ntae
that thus question should be left to the people
to determine
The speaker then recounted In detail the various
territorial acquisitions of the United States, and the
manner in which states were formed therefrom.
he said:
out of the Northwestern Territory. the states Vt
Ohio. Indiana and Illinois were gwen enabling acts
by Congress before they asked for them, ana were
admitted In advance OF their wishes. Maine also was
divided from Massachusetts, and admitted. Ohio in
lsOs had a population of $1,000. Indiana In 1Sl6 had
of 10000 Illinois In 1918 had q popu.
Ia ef A).0O
2Os, 600 Prom Che Southern Territories there were
In ISss with Of 600 Ala
bama In 1919 With population OF 10000: Mississippi
in 1877 with population Of $4,000 louisiana IN leis
of $4,000 Arkansas w 80" With a popu-
iation of $4,000 OF these siates Kentucky first and
aftrrwsri irniessce ARIA SIS fcrin her tate
constitutions and set up their State government with
out enabling act of Congress- and without the con-
but it directly and squarely set aside the temporary
Territorial government placed over IL. and notified
President George Washington that 1t had done So The
States OF Louisiana, mississippi and AiaDsins were
given enabling a is before they asked for them and
was brought In before her people really asked for
admission. - 49,
gan OF sixteen years during three Of which, for pOlit
reasons, the people of part Of the Territory OF
kept out of the Union This was the first instance
I'm viii h Congress acted in this matter adversely
Up Up 10 tho present for over years, ihe
area of a State has been 5000 square miles the
speaking part Of a Territory, when admitted as
State, wa 5000. There never was whole Territory
ss abs eScy sa MScu II they ea
themselves and portion of the Territory was sd
Matted a new shG Each
practically given its own choice as to It's bo1nda
s rsoy Of i's Michigan were % @ They
were admitted as State Into the Onion, and the State
out the consent or viii of Congress recognized:
ratified and approved by Congress The people OF
ssSs Sy their p' own act the territorial government of
Congress After this TWENTY-FIVE years passed before
Of c0i Florida, Iowa. California ArEansa. MnnesOa
and Oregon were admitted, and Florida Iowa, CALI
and governments under which they were admitted
without any prior enabling acts or consent OF Con-
c aeI aSnexao S Minnesota had enabling
srt but her State Government put itself into opera
on and snad SSe a 1s sss s and ang from
1856 to 1861, came the next struggle Of Congress
ss.inst Territory seeking admission as ns~ psr
Of the great conflict with slavery which eliminated
the sonst y Ss 1Ss IN
subjugate the people Of Kansas That noble ana
heroic people stood maniSy up for Their 5sh no Hnsy
majority Of both houses Of Congress and the admn n
r. Tss GUIDED IN his actions
the secreary Of War The res~t v %as t sas
ptSps SssS Sutra s when
Kansas was admitted. she had won her struggle
From that srugg " hls time, -stH S1Ss
have eiapsed. During that time West virginia,
Nevada. Nebraska and Colorado have been admitted admitted
nnlar enasing acts In the case OF Nevada atehood
WAS ,orced upon IT'S people before they desired II or
needed H. In the case Of Nebraska, 1t was given as
as the people desired IT, In tho case vi Colorado
there was Democratic opposition to It's admission;
bnt IL was not persistent And now for the third
ave engaged In similar struggle to those OF Michigan
And Kansas Out Of the whoe array vi new states
teen for period of 100 years, only three such strug
gies have been ventursd upon by the political parry
in newer and ours 10 the third In each OF the Two
DR. ceng the people won their light by perseverance
and pluck So VIII the people VI Dakota But eau
r attention TO this IA In neither of the for
'nrr strueeSes has there been such case made out
for admission Dakota has made
Ioek Mt IL. 6OOOOO people governed as colony
BY Government whose first principe Is that II has no
risht to govern people as colonies al The highest
population ever demanded Of people before adins-
lion was that Of Minnesota, I72,o0o. Tho average
popllatlou demanded has been 10000. Ana the
syeracc tms for which all but three were kept as
Territories before admission was seven years. Now
a. 10 three Territories their admission a. new States
aas prccoded by a long and bitter struggle These